MHS boys upend Bennington, 51-43

The Marion ended a two-game losing streak, finding their stride in a 51-43 win over Bennington Friday at home.

The Warriors (1-6, 5-10) scored 26 points of Bennington (3-6, 5-11) turnovers, a key factor in the victory.

?If we can create some easy points off our defense, that?s really going to help us,? said coach Jeff McMillin. ?We were aggressive. We knew they struggle with handling the ball.?

The Warriors started the game with a 10-point scoring run, keeping the Bulldogs scoreless for the first five minutes. But the Bulldogs rallied with a 10-point run of their own, tying the game just before the end of the first quarter.

A three-point shot from the Bulldogs right after the break put them ahead, 15-14. But a basket by Jordan Hett put Marion back in front. The Warriors stayed ahead of the Bulldogs on the way to a 26-20 halftime lead.

The Warriors slipped into a scoring drought in the third quarter, but they managed to fight through it and score eight points, thanks in part to three-pointers from Hett and Mikael Antoszyk in the last seconds of the quarter.

The Warriors led 34-29 at the final break.

The game tightened in the fourth quarter, with the Bulldogs drawing within three points several times during the period.

The Warriors extended their lead in the last couple of minutes, claiming the eight-point victory.

McMillin said the Bulldogs did a good job of putting the Warriors on their heels in the third quarter, but he praised his team?s effort to get past it.

?We had a little lapse in the third,? McMillin said. ?We fought through it and put some points up.?

Hett racked up 26 points on the night.

?He can do that,? McMillin said of Hett?s performance. ?I expect to see a lot of those games in the coming years. He?s a good player.?

Marion?s Jordan Versch contributed 12 points and several rebounds and key defensive plays.

Zach Fief scored 13 points to lead Bennington.

Coming?The Warriors are scheduled to play Inman (3-4, 9-5) at home Tuesday before traveling to Bennington (3-6, 5-11) for a rematch on Friday.

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